


Half-Truths and Overfull Hearts

by umaspirateship



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Agrabah (Disney), Based on the corefour's history in the books, Except its all Jafars idea and Jay just goes along with it, I've never seen anastasia but I imagine this is something similar, Jafar is awful, Jafar's not a thief he's a master manipulator, M/M, Takes place during the first movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-03-14 23:33:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13600791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/umaspirateship/pseuds/umaspirateship
Summary: Jafar had always been more of a con-man than a thief. He had managed to trick the Sultan of Agrabah himself, once upon a time. Had almost succeeded in taking over, too. And now, stuck on this island, Jafar twisted Jay’s head, manipulating his only son into doing his dirty work. Power, after all, was everything. So, while Maleficent was busy ordering Mal to steal Fairy Godmother’s magic wand, Jafar came up with a plan of his own – pass Jay off as Aladdin’s long lost son.





	1. The Plan

            The night before they left for Auradon was the darkest night in the Isle’s history. Fog slinked through the streets, threatening to blow out what few flickering candles remained. The shops had all closed, though you wouldn’t be able to tell by their appearance. Everyone seemed to be waiting, watching the ocean, hoping for… something.

            That night, Jay was lying on the cold cement floor of the junk shop, hoping that the fog wasn’t foreshadowing a storm. He was sure he wouldn’t last a day in Auradon and wasn’t looking forward sleeping in the flooded store _again_. Usually, moonlight would glint off the rusty bits of metal and abandoned genie bottles, giving Jay some sense of security in the dark, but tonight, there was nothing, only quiet, and somewhere above him, the awful, groaning snore of his father.

            … Only. That was odd. His father wasn’t asleep. He could hear him moving around upstairs, opening chests and digging around in the rickety fridge for a bottle of beer. Jay rolled his eyes and rolled over, pulling his too-small blanket over his head. There was something Jafar was planning on telling him, and Jay hoped to get as much sleep as possible before he did. He may have to suffer, but he didn’t plan on losing sleep over it.

            Based on the dusty watch that hung on one of the shelves above him, it was 3 am when his father finally meandered down the stairs, with a beer and a large satchel clutched in his hands.

            “Jay, get up, I don’t pay you to lounge around,” Jafar said, dropping the satchel on the ground next to him. He paused a bit, then laughed at his own joke. “Kidding, kidding. Like you’re good enough at stealing for me to pay you.”

            Jafar kicked Jay in the side.

            “Get up,” he said, his mouth tightening into a line, “I have a job for you.”

            “What?” Jay said, slowing sitting up and shooting a glance towards the lumpy-looking bag that Jafar had thrown to the floor, “Don’t you know I’m leaving for Auradon tomorrow? I’ll bring you something back once we conquer the world, Mal doesn’t care for that sort of stuff.”

            “While I’m sure whatever… knick-knacks you manage to pick up will be… snapped up, so to speak, by these easily impressionable fools,” Jafar drawled, “I was thinking more of a long-con. A scam, the likes of which Auradon has never seen.”

            Jay’s eyes grew wide and he stood up, “What are you –”

            “When I was young, I was the Grand Vizier of Agrabah! And I got that position not through _stealing_ , no. Everyone has reduced me to a mere magician, but I fooled the Sultan himself! I am a master manipulator, and I would be Sultan if Aladdin hadn’t cheated. Agrabah is foolish and is desperate for a good sob story. So, I thought, why not use _you_ to destroy them once and for all?”

            “Isn’t that what will happen when we steal the wand? I don’t understand why I need to go to so much effort,” Jay said, dragging a hand over his face.

            “Ah, well,” Jafar said, glancing around and dropping his voice to a whisper, “As much as I… respect Maleficent, I’d rather have a backup plan. After all, there’s no “I” in team. Trust is not something we value on the Isle, and we all know how well Maleficent’s plan worked last time.” He chuckled. “So I’m running my own con – we’re going to pass you off as the lost prince of Agrabah!”

            “I’m sorry,” Jay said, falling back into the shelf of broken kitchen utensils, “You’re what? Prince? You’ve got to be kidding, there’s no way –”

            “You know,” Jafar said, taking a step back, “You kind of look like him. Act like him too. When I met him, he was just a lowly street rat, stealing to live. Definitely not naturally royalty, like me.”

            “Wow, thanks,” Jay muttered. He had walked over to the satchel, curious enough after hearing Jafar’s plan to investigate its contents. Inside was a manual, _The History of Agrabah_ , a map of Auradon, a small, handwoven blanket, and a golden anklet that was too small to fit anyone he knew, even Carlos, who was skinnier than an eel.

            “What’s this?” Jay asked, holding the last two items up and squinting at them in the dim light.

            “Ah,” Jafar said grinning, “That’s our ace in the hole, so to speak. The lost prince’s baby blanket and part of his traditional jewelry set he was wearing the night he disappeared.”

            “Where’d he go?” Jay asked, turning the anklet in his hand, “It’d be a real wrench in the plan if he showed up, after all these years. Or worse, if he’s already been found.”

            “I’m not actually sure what happened,” Jafar said, “I remember the incident, sort of, but they took many of our memories directly before they moved us here. Tried to make us forget what they were forcing us to leave behind. Plus, I was in a lamp at the time, sort of distracted me from the whole thing. Evil Queen remembers more than I do from that period, and she says he died. Was kidnapped by a goblin. But of course, she never told the royals, so they’re still hopeful he’s out there somewhere, waiting to go home.”

            “So that’s my job then,” Jay said, tossing the items back into the bag, “Convince them I’m the lost prince, have them take me in. And then what?”

            “Then you’ll be Sultan someday, kid! The lost prince was Aladdin and Jasmine’s firstborn, and you’ll get all the benefits. A huge palace, the best food. Not to mention, Agrabah is a thief’s paradise! Whatever you want, you’ll have. There’s one other thing though. Conquering the world? Overrated, way too much work. Just use your power to bring me back to Agrabah. I want to live the life of a royal again. I want power, and Maleficent won’t give me any. Agrabah is my only chance at meaning. This rotten island has taught me that much, at least.”

            Jay sighed. He wouldn’t abandon his friends just to help his father, but… Evie? Carlos? Even if Mal’s plan worked, it would be back to the same old problems as before. There was no way he was letting Cruella de Vil run free after everything she’d done to Carlos. And all Evie had ever wanted was love from some stupid prince. Her mother had even gone so far as to have Auradon scraps stolen by her minions just so Evie could have the best make-up products on the Isle. And they were supposed to destroy that? Worse, if Mal’s plan didn’t work, they’d all be sent back to the Isle. His father would never let him speak to his friends again.

            He took another deep breath, trying to think. Mal was his oldest friend, but she wouldn’t understand. They’d always done everything together, protected each other from everyone who was bigger than them until they’d been the cruelest duo on the Isle. But he had to pull this con by himself, and man was it a good one.

            Finally, he looked up, grabbed the satchel, and walked towards the door. “I’ll do it,” he said slowly, looking Jafar in the eyes and risking a grin, "I'll see you when I'm Sultan."

            As he headed out into the foggy morning, Jay tugged on his necklace, shaped like a genie’s bottle, and ran past the henchmen sleeping in the alleyways. His friends had agreed to meet in their hide-out before dawn, and he was running late. He glanced down at the bag he was holding and shrugged it over his shoulders. This plan would work. It had to.

            For Jafar.

            For Evie. For Mal. For Carlos.

            For himself.


	2. Trust and Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The core four chats before leaving for Auradon.

            Other than the satchel of goods he’d gotten from his dad, Jay hadn’t bothered to pack anything for the trip. He didn’t own anything worth taking. He didn’t care about anything on the Isle, other than his friends. And getting his dad’s approval, but he could do that anywhere, so long as he brought back something he’d stolen. He looked at his friends, who all seemed to have bags of their own packed. Probably not with stuff stolen from a dead Agrabah prince, but he figured his dad was probably just weird like that.

            Carlos sat across from him on the couch, fiddling with the device that had punched a hole in the barrier not a month before.

            “Guess I won’t need this anymore,” Carlos said, setting it aside. “I honestly can’t wait until I get access to a good computer and functioning wi-fi.”

            “I’ll steal one for you first thing,” Jay said, “It’ll be easy.”

            “We won’t need to,” Mal cut in, “We won’t be there more than a day. We use Evie’s mirror to find the wand, then we leave. You won’t have to steal anything ever again when I’m in charge.”

            “Mal,’ Evie said, setting down the shirt she’d been mending, “What if your plan doesn’t work?”

            “We’re going to succeed,” Mal said, “We just have to work together, right? No secrets. We stole Mom’s staff that way. Well. Sort of.”

            “Uh, no secrets?” Carlos said, wringing his hands, “Have you, like, ever been on the Isle, Mal?”

            “What?” she said, crossing her arms and staring them all down. “It’s not like you three are hiding anything.”

            Jay glanced at his bag, trying not to seem outwardly nervous. He tapped his toes in his shoes and tried to count the splatters of paint on the floorboard. Across from him, Carlos had picked up his barrier-breaking tech again and was fiddling with the buttons. Meanwhile, Evie blushed hard and tried to disappear into her armchair.

            “Okay,” Mal muttered, “I guess I overestimated how much we trust each other now. Fine. We don’t have to work as a team if you don’t want to. I just thought… I’ll leave then.”

            Before they could speak, Mal stood up, yanked her suitcase off the floor, and stalked out of the room. Her absence made the air seem ten degrees cooler, and Evie shivered.

            “Well crap,” Carlos said, absentmindedly tucking the machine back into his bag. “We should probably go after her.”

            “I don’t know,” Jay said (though he was already grabbing his own bag), “I’ve known Mal the longest. She’s scary when she’s mad.”

            “Carlos is right,” Evie said, “We have to show Mal we trust her. I’d follow her anywhere, wouldn’t you?”

            Carlos nodded in agreement, while Jay just shrugged, shuffling his feet.

            “I trust her,” he said, “But there are some places no person could convince me to go.”

            “Like where, Auradon?” Evie laughed, “Well too late, mister. The limo is arriving soon.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “In ten minutes! How are we supposed to make Mal trust us _and_ get off this wretched piece of rock in time?”

            “Evie, I’m being serious,” Jay said, “What if Mal asks something of us we’re not willing to give? Sometimes she cares more about Maleficent than us, I can’t ignore that.”

            “Mal is our leader, Jay, I trust her,” Carlos said. “She’s saved us all at least once.”

            “She’s my friend too,” Jay said, “… She was my friend first. But what if we can win without the wand? What if there’s another way?”

            “There is no other way,” Evie said. “Let’s go, Jay.”

            They left the hideout, closing the door behind them for possibly the last time ever. Jay took a deep breath. It seemed brighter this morning than usual – the sun was breaking through the dark gray clouds that perpetually surrounded the Isle. The outside air was vibrating with an anxious excitement, and Jay had to stop himself from tapping his feet. Carlos and Evie sent a worried glance his way, but he just smiled back. They’d understand soon enough.

            Mal was sitting at the curb in front of the bargain castle, her purple suitcase pulled up next to her. She saw the three VKs heading in her direction and stood up.

            “You’re still coming?” she asked, “I thought you’d chickened out.”

            Jay could hear the soft _‘I thought you abandoned me’_ underneath her voice. Man, he felt guilty. He wished he could tell her his secret. Hopefully, Mal’s plan would work out fine, and they’d rule Auradon and Carlos would never have to go back to Cruella again. Maybe he’d get to prove that he wasn’t a useless failure.

            “We all have our secrets,” Jay said, punching her shoulder lightly, “But that doesn’t mean we want to disappoint you. Let’s go steal our future, yeah?”

            Evie smiled, relieved at Jay’s apparent change in thought. She glanced down at her watch and her eyes shot up.

            “Uh, guys, the limo is supposed to be here, like, now!”

            And, before they could even turn towards Auradon skyline, the sky began to glow under the light of the golden magic bridge. A shout came from the harbor as the pirates unsuccessfully attempted to row past the barrier before it closed and the limo was fully in Isle territory. The limo was shinier, cleaner, and more expensive looking than anything else on the Isle. Even Mal’s spell book, for all its old wisdom, was falling apart at the seams due to its years in Maleficent’s refrigerator.

            As their last seconds on the Isle ticked away, everyone checked their bags to make sure they hadn’t left something essential behind. Mal tapped a reassuring pattern on her spell book. Carlos double checked his tool bag and ended up accidentally spilling everything everywhere. As he was cleaning it up, Jay took a second to check his own bag. A beat-up copy of _The History of Agrabah._ A map of Auradon. A soft woven blanket. A bejeweled anklet. He sighed in relief and glanced up just in time to see Evie begin to panic.

            “Oh no,” Evie said as the limo pulled up and opened its doors, “I forgot my sketchbook!”

            Jay breathed in relief. “I almost thought you’d hurt yourself,” he said softly, “Calm down E, we’ll get you a new one.”

            “Actually, we’ll be back for it soon,” Mal said, smiling wickedly, “We’ll be back for everyone.”

            And with that, they climbed into the limo. Funny how easy it was to leave his whole childhood behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I love transitional chapters. Next chapter, they'll be in Auradon! Woot. If their characterizations seem different from the movie, it's cause I tried to continue their character develop from the first book. It won't be exactly like the movie because there are lots of things I thought could be better. Hopefully, you all enjoy it though!
> 
> -umaspirateship


	3. The Gang meets Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're finally in Auradon. A spot the differences in how Jay's secret affects the welcome scene. With more Carlos because he's great.

     When Jay tried chocolate for the first time, he knew that it would be hard to go through with the plan. Not because he no longer wanted to be the “lost prince of Agrabah,” but because he recognized weakness when he saw it. His father always told him he wasn’t allowed to enjoy his loot until the job was done – Auradon was no exception.

     And, judging by the looks on Evie and Carlos’ faces, they were quickly being won over. Hell, even the limo’s seats were comfier than anything on the Isle!

     They arrived at Auradon Prep fast. It was disconcerting how close this clean, cheery place was to their grungy Isle home. The air felt different. Lighter, somehow. He didn’t feel any different though. Jay figured he’d be able to sense the magic here, feel it flowing through him. But he just felt the same. Like a genie’s lamp with nobody home.

     As the limo entered school grounds, Jay began instinctually raking his eyes over the limo, his hands quickly pocketing anything with value. Suddenly, right before he grabbed the last that wasn’t nailed down, another hand whipped into view and grabbed it.

     “Hey,” Jay said, yanking it back, “That’s mine.”

     “You don’t even need it! I just want something!”

     “You don’t deserve this! I’m the thief, not you!” Jay said. Carlos deserved… better than this dumb rag. Plus, Jay had a reputation to uphold. Unfortunately, his words had the undesired effect of making Carlos start wrestling with him. Carlos was small but he was used to having to fight for what he wanted.

     “Let go of my leg!” shouted Jay.

     “Guys, shut up,” Evie cried, “You’re going to make us look bad! What if there are princes out there?”

     That made Jay’s head snap up. Suddenly, he could move. Couldn’t speak. Carlos used Jay’s momentary lapse of attention to gain the tactical advantage before turning to Evie, dumbfounded.

     “… I hate to ask,” Carlos said, “But, princes? That’s really your concern here?”

     “Don’t you know?” she said, “Mother always said that I have to marry a prince. She says it’s only right, given that she’s a queen. And Auradon Prep is where all of Auradon’s top royalty go to school.”

     “All of them?” Jay asked, his voice uncertain.

     “All of them, and I don’t want them judging us just because you two can’t behave for five seconds!”

     Mal finally spoke up from where she had been glowering in the corner. “What does it matter what they think of us? We’re not staying for more than a day. Get the wand and get out, remember?”

     But, before any of them could answer, the limo pulled to a stop in front of Auradon Pep’s awkwardly dancing marching band. Jay heard the door unlock as the limo driver went to pull it open. In a panic, he dropped all of the stuff he had stolen, while unfortunately included the towel Carlos had been hanging on to for dear life. If there were princes here like Evie thought, he had to at least try to fit in. Even if Jafar was reminded of Aladdin when he looked at Jay, the Auradon people would be less willing to make the connection.

     “Ow,” Carlos said, brushing him off and standing up, “Thanks, Jay.”

     “No problem,” Jay said, glancing over at Carlos while Evie and Mal climbed out behind him. “Uh, you’ve got chocolate…” Jay motioned at Carlos’ face vaguely.

     “What?” Carlos glanced at his reflection in the limo’s mirror and shrugged. He wiped it off with the rag he was still clutching in his hand and tossed the rag into the limo behind him, slamming the door closed. “So,” he said, addressing the crowd as a whole, “Where’s the tech room?”

     “Carlos,” Evie hissed, “Posture! It’s like you don’t even care about etiquette.”

     “Eves, you’re wicked and all, but no one else cares about that kind of stuff. Right, bro?” Carlos said, turning to Jay for affirmation.

     Jay just shrugged and put his hands behind his back, subconsciously straightening as he did so.

     “Really? Et tu, Brute?” Carlos said, putting his hand dramatically on his chest.

     “Oh my god, you’re such a nerd,” Jay exhaled as he let himself smile for the first time since reaching this ‘blessed’ school.

     Mal rolled her eyes and stepped in front of them, crossing her arms. “Enough of that. Who’s in charge here?”

     Quickly, the crowd of teenagers parted as a middle age woman with an artificially pleasant face walked up to them. The woman, who was obviously Fairy Godmother based on the way Mal’s eyes narrowed, was flanked by two obviously royal teens. A boy, who Jay quickly recognized as Ben from all the stupid posters that littered the Isle, and some other princess with an equally fake smile. Ben’s smile, at least, seemed sincere.

     “That would be me,” the woman said, “I’m the Headmistress here at Auradon Prep! Go Knights!” She laughed, “Welcome to our school.”

     “So you’re Fairy Godmother?” Mal asked, boasting a fake smile that rivaled any in Auradon, “I thought you had a wand?”

     “Ah, that was a long time ago. We don’t do magic in Auradon. No, these days we just use the magic of hard work and education!”

     “That’s ironic,” Carlos muttered under his breath. “For too many reasons.”

     “I’m sorry,” the Headmistress coughed, “did you say something, young man?”

     “It wasn’t anything important, ma’am,” Jay cut in before Carlos could add his clearly scathing remark (Carlos could be wicked when he wanted to be). “Only, we were wondering if these lovely people behind you were ever going to introduce themselves.”

     “I’m Audrey,” the girl simpered, pointedly refusing to offer her hand for a handshake, “Princess Audrey. I’m Prince Ben’s girlfriend. Well, he’ll be king soon, but of course, I’m sure you knew that.”

     “What a coincidence,” Jay said, “Our lovely Evie here is a princess too! I’ve heard you have lots of those in Auradon, but Evie’s honestly the best. She designed this wicked jacket, for one.”

     “You’re so nice, Jay,” Evie said, grinning. By the glint in her eye, he could tell that she caught his sly insult. One-upping people was his specialty.

     Audrey, however, was not so interested.

     “I can tell,” she said, quirking an eyebrow, “It looks like the kind of thing someone from the Isle would design. And technically, Evie? You’re not a princess after the Evil Queen lost her legitimacy. So don’t bother pulling that one.”

     “Ah, guys,” Prince Ben spoke for the first time, “I know that the culture here is a little different, but I’m hoping we can all get along!” He shot a glance at Audrey. “You have probably guessed by now that I’m Prince Ben, and I wanted to officially welcome you to Auradon! I hope that today will symbolize the final reunion of our people.”

     Unlike Audrey, he began to go around and try to shake their hands. Jay stared at it for a second and then gripped it hard.

     “I’m Jay,” he said as Ben winced.

     Next, Mal gave an acknowledging nod but refused on uncross her arms. Carlos managed to turn the princely handshake into a fist-bump. Evie curtsied, and Prince Ben took her hand and kissed it politely.

     “And you’re Princess Evie, of course,” he said, ignoring Audrey’s offended squawk. He backed up, addressing all four of them. “I really hope you will be able to find a home here, if there’s anything I can do, please ask. This is an important growing experience for all of us!”

     “Yeah, I have a question,” Mal said, dragging out the syllables.

     “Yes, of course. Don’t be afraid to ask! Education is one of our most important values here! Along with honesty, of course.” He laughed.

     “Well, I’d like to honestly learn where the bathrooms are if you’d be so kind.”

     “Right,” he said, laughing again, “You guys must be tired from your trip. I’ll lead you inside, but my friend Doug has agreed to give you the grand tour. I have to go make some last-minute coronation decisions, prince duties and all that. I’ll have the servants grab your bags if that’s okay?”

     Jay saw some skinny, balding man open the limo’s trunk and take out his satchel, and Jay zapped over there so fast he felt like he was flying.

     “I’ll take that,” he said, yanking the satchel out of his arms, “Precious heirlooms, and all that, you understand.”

     Ben gave him a weird look, but he was sticking with it. No way he’d risk some nobody ruffling around in his bag and ruining The Plan.

     “Alright, whatever suits you best, I guess,” Ben said. He motioned them towards some large, oak doors. “The dorms are this way, and so are the bathrooms.”

     While there were walking, Jay stuck his hand in his bag, feeling for his stuff. It was all there, but he was still worried. He had to come up with a way to keep his stuff on him. At least the anklet, which was the most valuable and most damning of the objects. And for that, he’d need Evie.

     Crap.

     He’d ask her if their plan to steal the wand that night failed. He could put it off for another day.

     Sure.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally updated! I had half of this written already but wanted to try and write Ben, Fairy G, and Audrey the best I could. Don't worry, there will be #justiceforaudrey, I love her too.
> 
> Stay tuned to find out how the museum theft goes and to find out how Evie's gonna help Jay!
> 
> ~Umaspirateship (Message me @ the same name on tumblr! I'm always on and will reply to asks! I just prefer to post original things so I don't update posts very often lol)
> 
> Or comment here! Thanks for all the comments so far they're super encouraging and I love reading your predictions!


	4. I turn to the light, my eyes adjust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They try to steal the wand. There's a lot of talk about sleeping and Jay caring about his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know when you're having trouble with what comes next and you can't quite figure out how to make the transition work the way you want to? Well, this is that. It's not as long as I hoped but it's the last of the movie canonical stuff. I tried to delve more into Jay's brain than the actual events of the scene. Posting this to finally get it over with, but hopefully I'll be motivated to write the actually exciting stuff! The question today: which Aladdin character/descendant do you think Jay will meet first?
> 
> ~the one, the only, umaspirateship

     Their dorm room was wicked. He knew Mal planned on stealing the wand that night, but he almost wished they’d fail so he could sleep on a bed for once. Silk sheets? An actual mattress? No creepy cat statue watching him from the corner of the room? Ten out of ten, as far as Jay cared. Plus, all the dorms in the building were unlocked, which naturally lead to Jay stealing as much as he could carry: a laptop, a few tablets, and even a rotten apple watch. He’d hoped he could use the tech to figure out more about the Agrabah royal family, but he had never really learned to use technology on the Isle. No wi-fi, you know. Kind of made the whole laptop thing unappealing, when he could spend his time stealing and punching people instead.

     In the corner of the room, a huge flat screen TV powered to life as Carlos fiddled with the buttons. Carlos was a genius when it came to technology, but even the lure of a freshly stolen laptop couldn’t steal his attention away from the frankly impressive video game console.

     “Carlos, are you going to help me set up my laptop or what?”

     “One second, I want to finish the level. The graphics are unbelievable.”

     “My graphics are good too,” Jay muttered under his breath. To be entirely honest, he wasn’t even sure what a graphics was. On the Isle, graphic tended to describe Harry Hook’s torture methods or the consequences of entering Cruella De Vil’s closet.

     Carlos clearly didn’t hear a word he’d said as he continued punching baddies on the screen.

     “Fine, I’ll teach myself.” It couldn’t be that hard. He was an independent and strong-willed villain after all, and he’d never needed a team before. He barely got a chance to turn the stupid laptop on when Mal and Evie came bursting into the room.

     “The glam squad has arrived,” Evie cheered. “Time to take some names!”

     “And kick some butt!” added Carlos, accentuating his words with another virtual punch on the screen of his game.  
“And steal the wand!” said Mal, trying and failing to seem bored.

     “I can’t believe this is actually happening,” said Jay quietly, “Doesn’t it feel like everything’s happening too fast?”

     Mal glanced his direction and frowned. “Don’t tell me you want to stay in fairytale land a second longer. You’re Jay. THE thief. Tall. Buff. Awesome hair.”

     He laughed. “Thanks. But I like being tall, buff, awesome hair Jay and sleeping on silk sheets.”

     Mal narrowed her eyes when Jay didn’t take the obvious opportunity to brag about his thieving skills. Thankfully, any concerns she had were interrupted by a squeak from Carlos.

     “The sheets are silk?” he said, leaping up. Within five seconds, he vaulted his way across the room and buried himself under the covers. “Ahhh, heaven.” He sighed.

     There’s the Carlos Jay knew and would fistfight strangers for. Cruella had a thing for luxury, but she also had a thing for making Carlos suffer. Jay noticed that while he didn’t really acknowledge what happened, Carlos tended to enjoy things deeper than the rest of them. Safety and goodness put him at ease rather than on edge, and it was reassuring to see him so calm here.

     “Guys, we really need to focus,” said Mal. “We promised to try and work together as a team. It won’t work otherwise.”

     “It’s fine, Carlos is probably just tired,” said Evie. “I’ll get us started at least. I’ve got my mom’s magic mirror but I’ve, like, obviously never used it before, so don’t judge.”

     “You go girl.” Carlos raised a fist in support before burying it once again in the fabric.

     Evie’s expression became one of intense concentration as she chanted. Magic flowed through her skin as she spoke, making her fingertips glow and her eyes seem an even darker brown. It reminded Jay of how his dad described genie magic. It was like breathing, he said, a part of you that made you feel more powerful than anything in the world, and yet at the same time weak, pushed and pulled by the Universe’s tides. Jay still hadn’t felt the pull, but his stomach seemed to be clenching tighter and tighter the more he thought about his dad’s snarling face, that night before he left. The way it was every night when he came home empty-handed. It was as if his insides were trying to suck out all the air from the room. He felt dizzy. Each breath he took shuddered down his spine, and he barely managed to register Carlos calling his name from where he sat on the bed. He tossed Carlos his laptop and wrapped his fingers around the fabric of his gloves.

     Hell. Jay needed to quash his dreams. Needed to stop thinking about living up to his father’s legacy. Needed to breathe. Needed to stop being such a coward.

     Time seemed to move so quickly after they found out the location of the wand. He watched Carlos’ long fingers type on the keys of his stolen laptop, pulling up something called “GPS.” Whatever it was, it meant that before he could process what was happening, they were running down the halls and across town.

     The Museum of Cultural History, it was called.

     According to the cartoon-like map on the side of the wall, they had a whole freaking exhibit dedicate to the “Wonders of Agrabah,” with a special spot saved specially for his dad’s creepy cobra staff. Jay shuddered, glancing away from the map to follow his friends through the halls.

     Mal was buzzing from the leftover magic energy, her eyes still tinged neon green. Evie was full of nerves, a hesitant grin across her face as she maneuvered them left and right through the exhibits with the help of her magic mirror. And Carlos, sweet Carlos, was running his fingers through his hair and humming the melody of “rotten to the core,” a song they’d made up a few weeks ago when they’d stayed up for hours celebrating Evie’s birthday.

     Then, they took a sharp turn into the hall of villains and everything started to go wrong.

     Jay almost jumped out of his skin when he saw Jafar’s face. Suddenly, all he could do was utter one word. Killer.

     He stumbled back, hoping his father couldn’t somehow see him back on the Isle. Surely his dad was back on the Isle? He was disposable, Jay knew that... and if Jafar thought he was a coward....

     Barely managing to turn and ask the gang to keep walking, Jay stumbled his way down the hall. It felt like his lungs had curled up into a fist, and it made him feel like punching something. He needed to stay calm. He glanced at his friends around him and tried to breathe.

     Mal was like his bossy but well-meaning sister. Evie, a true princess he would fight anyone to protect (though he sometimes suspected she could take him out if she wanted). Carlos was, well, Carlos, and those few months since they’d met had been the best in his life. They had a cool hideout, were much more fashionable than before, and managed to avoid their parents. But now he was going to unintentionally sabotage it all because he couldn’t freaking breathe.

     When he saw the wand, the world seemed to tilt out of focus. This was it. He tried to act nonchalant.

     “Well, this is it,” he said, and reached for the wand, only realizing at the last minute he had forgotten to check for security alarms.

     Mal looked him in the eyes and went into command mode before the first alarm even sounded. “Everyone, run. Carlos, you know what to do.”

     And just like that, it was over, and they all went back to their plushy silk beds to reunite in the morning. He had ruined it for everyone, and he wasn’t even trying to.

     Jay sighed and let his eyes adjust to the darkness as he stared at the ceiling. It felt strangely familiar to being in the store, only there was the comforting sound of Carlos shifting in his sleep rather than the unnerving sound of his dad rummaging through the fridge.

     He needed this plan to be successful, and at the rate he was going that wasn’t going to happen. Plus, he still needed to find a way to transport his stuff without lugging that stupid satchel everywhere. In the morning. He’d worry about it in the morning. His head turned back to Carlos, whose face was lit up by the moon. At least he’d get a good night sleep in this place.


	5. Princely Characteristics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay finds a hiding spot and tries out for the Tourney team. Various people talk to him and get some idea that he's anxious about something, and Jay resolves himself to his dad's stupid plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo sorry about the long wait! I've been writing this when I've had free time during my free time, and since I've been so busy this summer that's been like... never. Enjoy the Jay angst and various character interactions.
> 
> I love this plot but it takes me a while to get everything figured out.

            Jay needed someplace to be alone. He’d always _had_ someplace to be alone – someplace up high, where he could watch the people bustling by, watch the goblins in the market haggle over prices, watch the sky churn in its perpetual gloomy gray. On the Isle, the glint of silver in the streets below him had meant a knife, or a sword, or a gun. Meant far-away rooftop hideaways were the best way to stay safe and monitor the situation below.

            The rooms in Auradon were large and airy, meant for socializing. None of the doors in the school were locked, which made it easier to steal, but it wasn’t useful in finding a hiding space. Whenever Jay found even a slightly malicious spot, he’d be instantly interrupted by a couple of twittering lovebirds. Was nothing sacred?

            Jay turned another corner in his search through the endless corridors. It felt like the crowds were pushing in on his lungs. He like people well enough, liked to flirt, but now it felt different.

            He couldn’t lie to these people.

Not like his dad could.

            Every time someone glanced his way it was like they could see everything that was wrong with him. All of his insecurities, all those late nights where he’d wander unable to sleep, like they could see how alone he was. Like they could see how he was abandoning his friends –

            He was doing this for them.

            _They’re not watching because they know, you idiot, they’re watching you because you’re from the Isle. They don’t think you’re lying, they think you’re evil. You are evil, Jay. Or aren’t you?_

            Then he stopped, and suddenly the voice in his head disappeared. He’d found it. Found the spot he’d been looking for, that he so desperately needed. It took most of the morning to find someplace suitable, but this was it.

            It was a study nook at the end of a long hallway streaming with light. The hallway itself was usually empty. The classes along the way, all foreign language classes, were unpopular, mostly due to the students already knowing how to speak French or Chinese or Western Meadowlark. Besides, there was a group lounge area next to the stairs that had a perfect view of the tourney field and another in the next hall over that let the occupants have a clear eyeline towards the Castle, for those who were more interested in gossip.

            But Jay’s spot had a perfect view of the outdoor hallway the floor below, where students strolled no matter the time of day. And his new spot was so out of the way that the table was coated with a wisp-thin layer of dust (an impressive amount, for Auradon) and the seat was worn with the yellowing of age but not the tears of use. The chair’s high back allowed him to turn it to the hallway and render him invisible, and the area was small enough that there was no way an unsuspecting couple would wander in on him.

            He took a deep breath as he settled into the seat and began to relax. He calculated which of Rapunzel’s daughters had the most expensive jewelry in their hair. He watched one prince schedule dates with five different girls at an honestly scary rate. Pulling a knife out of his jacket, he began to idly scratch his name into the arm of the chair, watching as the sun crossed the sky as he most definitely missed class.

            The sun was halfway across the sky when he was interrupted by a loud screech as someone carelessly dragged a heavy armchair across the highly polished floorboards. A quick glance revealed Mal’s shocking purple hair and Jay let out a huff of amusement. She set the chair next to his and dropped her bookbag on the floor.

            “How’d you find me?” Jay asked as Mal flung herself across the chair.

            “I’ve known you pretty much my whole life, it was obvious,” Mal said. “I wouldn’t have bothered except Evie asked me to give you this.” She tossed the golden anklet at Jay. Thanks to Evie’s meddling, it was now big enough to fit around his wrist, so he put it on and tugged his glove down his arm until he couldn’t see it anymore. Mal raised an eyebrow. “Who’d you steal that from? It looks expensive.”

            “Didn’t,” Jay said, glancing away, “Took it from Jafar before I left the junk shop. Reminded me of home, I guess.”

            “You wouldn’t need a reminder if you’d managed to steal the wand,” Mal said, nudging him with her foot.

            “Well, I didn’t. Not like you could have done any better. How was class? Learn anything about the wand?”

            “No,” Mal said, frowning. “Intro to Auradonian History was biased, as expected. No mention of the 1986 fairy rebellion in all three of the textbooks we were assigned. Actually, it was kind of amusing,” she said beginning to smile, “There’s this one prince, an idiot really, who thinks he’s the best thing since hot gruel. He was trying to pick on Carlos – ”

            “What?”

            “Shut up, I’m talking. So he was knocking stuff off Carlos’ desk, making bad jokes about his appearance with his stupid princely friends, all stuff we can handle, when the teacher got mad at him for interrupting class! Can you imagine? She asked him some question about the history of Cinderellasburg, and he didn’t know the answer. And the best part? His mom is literally Cinderella.”

            Jay laughed, “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

            “Yeah, sure, suffering his presence is what I would call fun. When do I get to suffer yours?”

            “What are you talking about? You’re literally bothering me right now.”

            Mal swung her legs off the chair and stood up, crossing her arms.

            “Jay, you need to attend the rest of these dumb Auradon classes. I hate the goody two shoes as much as you do, and I would never ask you to become friends with those stuffy royals, Hades forbid, but we need to know everything we can about the wand. As soon as possible. I don’t want to stay in this place a second longer than needed.”

            “Hey, but at least there are silk sheets.”

            “And my first job as ruler of the universe will be to get you the brightest most garish pink sheets possible since you seem to like them so much,” Mal pulled Jay to his feet. She paused for a second, glancing at his face. “Are you okay?”

            “Yeah, fine, it’s just the crowds, they – ” he took a shuddering breath. “I just needed some space.”

            “Yeah,” she said, balling her hands into fists, “I – it’s all this light, for me, I think. Makes me feel like I can’t hide.”

            “Someone’s always watching you, nowhere is safe,” added Jay softly.

            They both turned to look out the window down at the crowd below.

            “Is there anywhere a guy can get some lunch in this place,” Jay announced to the corridor. “What good is being in Auradon if a guy can’t get some grub when he’s hungry?”

            “Well it’s no goblin slop coffee,” Mal said as they walked down the hall, “But I hear there’s a buffet table in the East Wing.”

            Long story short, lunch was delicious, but they didn’t learn anything useful during lunch _or_ in the torturous Goodness 101 class. It was after class though, when he and Carlos were not-so-gently directed towards the Tourney field, that Jay began to really worry.

            It was Chad who pissed him off first, naturally.

            “Ben,” he began, loudly and in full hearing of everyone on the field, “I get that you thought it was a good idea to let villains go to school here, but it’s not really _safe_ to let them play tourney. How do you think Jay got those muscles on the Isle? Not by playing organized sports, no. He got them through violence! Violence! Like, punching people!” Chad dropped down to a whisper, “What if he punches me? Or,” his voice rocketing up into an outraged squeal, “What if he gets too excited after a match and hurts Audrey!”

            Ben put on his best reassuring smile. “He’s not going to hurt Audrey, or you. I trust him.”

            “He stole my hair gel,” cried Chad.

            “Did you really?” Ben asked, turning his head towards Jay, trying not to laugh.

            “No,” Jay said, “But I did steal his hair dye. Is there a difference? I don’t use any product on my hair, so I don’t really know.”

            Jay was lying. He did know. You couldn’t be friends with Evie and not have a basic understanding of beauty products.

            His words had exactly the reaction he had wanted – Chad sputtered, threw his hands in a sort of flappy manner in the air, and stormed off the field. Carlos, who’d been standing next to him, started laughing at the sight, and said, “Wow, princes are such idiots. Only someone with absolutely no brain cells could pull that off.”

            Jay froze and his hand hovered uncertainly over the golden bracelet hidden under his glove. He shook his head and said, “Maybe you should be a prince then.”

            “Ha,” Carlos punched him in the shoulder, grinning, “I’m the smartest kid in Auradon – I’m about as far from a prince as you can get.”

            And, the truth was, Carlos was right. If their friend group had to be organized into royalty and evil geniuses, he and Evie would be on one side, and Carlos and Mal would be on the other. Jay put a lot of stock in his reputation as a thief and charming loner. And yeah, he supported Evie’s weird, self-preoccupied ambitions, but he being a prince _scared_ him. Standing there on the tourney field, he finally started to realize how stupid an idea it might be to pretend to be Aladdin’s son. He wasn’t afraid that no one would believe him, he was afraid that they would.

            When he finally snapped out of it, Ben and Carlos were talking quietly and enthusiastically about strategy, and Jay was by himself.

            He took a deep breath, dropped his Tourney stick, and started fleeing from the field in as dignified as a manner as he could manage. As he stepped onto the long grass on the fringes of the field, a firm hand landed on his shoulder.

            “Kid, is something wrong?” the Tourney Coach asked as Jay turned to face him. “You’re not rethinking your decision to join the team? I can talk to Chad.”

            Jay rolled his eyes, “Chad doesn’t scare me.”

            “Someone doesn’t have to scare you for them to mess with your brain.”

            “I’m fine, I’m used to worse.”

            “What? Jay that isn’t okay, you shouldn’t have to be used to it.”

            “That’s not what I meant,” Jay said, “I just mean… he’s not a villain, is all. He’s a prince. I just thought princes were supposed to be less stupid.”

            “Then you’re fooling yourself, kid,” Coach laughed, “Ben was the only decent player on the team last year, and we barely managed to beat Wonderland. Half their players are anthropomorphized butterflies! These princes have got their looks and their smiles and that’s it.”

            “That explains why I’m not a prince then,” Jay joked deprecatingly.

            “Ah, don’t beat yourself up kid. Actually, you kind of remind me of someone… an old friend.”

            “Probably just my winning smile,” Jay’s mouth tugged into a contradictory frown, “Don’t tell Mal, I’m not sure she’d appreciate it.”

            “Ha, I think she’d sooner turn me into a frog than talk to me,” Coach laughed, oblivious of Jay’s concern, “Practice is at five this Thursday! Be there.”

            He would be. He hadn’t learned anything about the wand, but he had a feeling that Coach might be the most vulnerable to his princely manipulations.

            Cause he was a prince. Yeah. Great idea, Jafar. Thanks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Love potion cookies and an accident during the Tourney game.
> 
> (yeah I'm skipping all the build up to that y'all know how it goes. this is about my man jay thank you very much)
> 
> ~abbey, owner operator of umaspirateship (also on tumblr, where i occasionally post updates and reply to asks!)
> 
> thanks for your support, in your honor this fic is probably going to hit a lot of descendants tropes. predictions, hopes, and speculations appreciated in the comments if you'd like to share :)


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